Windows XP/Vista/7. Recently, I upgraded my hope PC from Windows Vista to the latest Microsoft offering, Windows 7. I prefer the clean install to the “in-place” upgrade in order to ensure a more pristine image. I’ve done my share of OS upgrades in the past, and something that always seems to take longer than it should is the download and re-installation of common software packages. It’s an endless cycle of going to a webpage, downloading the latest version, clicking through all of the install options…then moving on to the next web site.
Luckily, the folks at ninite.com have provided an outstanding free service that takes the latency out of the install process. It’s dead simple, and unbelievably convenient. A quick visit to their site shows you a list of commonly installed applications available for download on the web. Select the apps you’d like to install by selecting the corresponding checkboxes.
When finished, clicking on the large “get installer” button at the bottom will download a file to your computer that looks like this:
Now is where the real fun begins. Double-click on the installer icon, and … go away. Or stare at the screen. Or do whatever it is you do when you’re not manually installing endless pieces of software on your new OS. The installer will automatically download each and every application that you selected and install them using the default install settings. A progress bar keeps you updated on which application is being installed during the process, but after about two it won’t matter because you’ll be off watching “Big Bang Theory”, anyway.
A quick sample of the applications available: The four free major browsers, Skype, iTunes, Picasa, Gimp, MS Office (trial version, of course), OpenOffice, AVG Free, The Adobe essentials (Reader, Flash), CCleaner, 7-Zip, Steam, Audacity, WinRar…need I go on? There’s also an option to submit an app suggestion, so it seems that ninite continues to expand their offerings.
Ninite.com is most convenient when installing a whole batch of apps, but could also be used for a single install if you want to skip all of the installation questions. If you’re installing a clean version of Windows 7 (and if you’re currently running Windows XP – you are), give ninite a try. I think you’ll be impressed.
Got an idea for a topic? E-mail me at toptoad@techonadime.net.
